Turkey Joins The Hague Group’s Gaza Statement with Reservations
At an emergency meeting of The Hague Group’s foreign ministers held in Bogotá with representatives from 30 countries, a joint statement condemning Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip was adopted. The document outlined six practical measures to pressure Israel, which were agreed upon by the participating nations.
Turkey, represented at the meeting by a deputy foreign minister, ultimately signed the statement while formally expressing reservations on two of its clauses. The disagreement stemmed from references in the second and third clauses to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)—a treaty that Turkey cannot unconditionally accept due to legal concerns.
In explaining this decision, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that certain provisions of the statement required further technical review and interagency coordination. The ministry emphasized that most of the proposed measures in the statement had already been implemented by Turkey.
In a televised interview, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan added that the deadline for signing the statement had been extended until the end of September and that Ankara’s main objection was the document’s references to UNCLOS, as they conflict with Turkey’s legal stance on maritime rights in the Aegean Sea.
Earlier, Özgür Özel, leader of the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), had criticized the government for delaying the signing of the statement, prompting reactions from state officials.
In its official reservation, appended to the statement, Turkey stressed that signing the document in no way implies a change in Ankara’s position regarding UNCLOS. This stance is part of the long-standing dispute between Turkey and Greece over maritime rights in the Aegean.
